Getting Free at Work
Co-Creating a Liberatory Workplace
In December, our Systems Change Accelerator cohort and Racial Equity in Homelessness Fellowship cohort came together for a visioning exercise focused on creating a “liberatory workplace,” a term SJPLA uses to describe a workplace that nurtures relationships, wellbeing, and shared power. Participants collaborated in small groups to discuss work culture, relationships, power, and decision-making.
Together, they developed 12 organizational leadership strategies to build a liberatory workplace that you can begin today.
12 Strategies for Creating a Liberatory Workplace:
Everyone Impacted Gets a Say: Share power and decision-making with all those affected by the outcomes.
Promote Learning: Emphasize continuous learning and improvement through evaluations, feedback, and open conversations.
Embrace Mistakes: Create a culture where making mistakes is viewed as an opportunity to learn, pivot, and grow.
Lead with Appreciation: Give credit and show appreciation for your teammates' hard work.
Shape Work Together: Encourage teammates to make decisions and take on leadership roles.
Know Teammate's Strengths: Understand what excites, motivates, and defines your teammates' skills and contributions.
Develop Goals Together: Collaboratively create goals with staff and support them in achieving these goals.
Honor Team Bandwidth: Recognize that progress and meeting expectations are sufficient and that overworking jeopardizes wellbeing.
Invest in Staff Wellbeing: Encourage work-life balance and invest in employee development.
Prioritize Rest and Care: Prevent burnout by genuinely caring for your team and promoting time off and self-care.
Laugh, Play, and Eat Together: Foster a culture of humor and connection by sharing meals, playing games, and engaging in personal conversations.
Welcome Dissent: Encourage open dialogue and different opinions without jeopardizing job security.
Creating a liberatory workplace is an ongoing process that involves centering wellbeing, relationships, and shared power. By implementing these 12 strategies, leaders can foster a workplace that values each team member's unique strengths, encourages open dialogue and learning, and promotes shared decision-making. Not only will this lead to more resilient, adaptive, and effective organizations that are better equipped to drive lasting change, but a workforce that cares for themselves and each other.